Lahad Datu power station

The Lahad Datu power station is a 300 megawatt coal-fired power station proposed by Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd to be constructed on Borneo Island, Sabah, Malaysia. The proposal was rejected by the government of Sabah in 2008 but in mid-2010 Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd is lobbying for its approval once more.

Status of Development
The USGS states that in 2008 the state government of Sabah canceled approval for the project "because the proposed plant would be located near the protected rainforest area."

An April 2008 media statement by Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd complained that with "the cancellation of the project, the people of Sabah will have to face the inevitability of a power crisis situation ... While TNB fully understands the decision by the Sabah State Government is made due to the pressure from various NGOs, environmentalists and other interested parties, we would like to clarify to the people of Sabah that much of the claims made by opponents of the project do not comprehend the gravity of the power supply situation in the State. Nor have the project's nay-sayers communicated to the people the true picture of the project site and its allegedly destructive environmental impact on the green field and pristine area surrounding the Darvel Bay."

In its statement, Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd argued that "the current technology for renewable energy can only supply capacities of around 1MW per plant, whereas immediate supply-demand requirements of Sabah is about 200 MW as at end of 2010. Hence it would be very prudent and appropriate to go for the fossil fuel technology, i.e. steam generating sets at 4 x 80MW to meet the short-to-medium term requirements."

SESB also claimed that the plant would employ "clean coal" technology. "TNB is also fully aware of the controversial view towards coal as a resource. As a national utility company, what we can do to respond towards this is to employ the technologies available that can support the plans for plant development. This is why we made the effort to require clean coal technology in the generation methods for this plant. Clean coal technology is the name used to describe technologies for improvement of efficiency and environmental acceptability of coal extraction, preparation and use. In Malaysia, the technology has been used in our own Stesen Janakuasa Sultan Azlan Shah (SJSAS) at Manjung, Perak," it stated.

In July 2010 it was announced that the fight against the plant was continuing, and that the Malaysian government was continuing to pursue the development of the plant. In the spring of 2010, several organizations in Borneo joined efforts with the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory (RAEL) at the University of California Berkeley to publish a report that shows how the island could fulfill its energy needs with clean, renewable energy. It was noted that despite the report, the Malaysian government was attempting to expedite the plant's construction.

Citizens groups opposing coal-fired power stations

 * GreenSurf

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd